1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a system and a method for a dynamic adjustment of expiration dates of authorization keys for antivirus products, while increasing or decreasing the number of computers that use the licensed antivirus product.
2. Description of the Related Art
Today many users install and use different software products from different vendors. There is a strong need to control and even defend such software products from unauthorized users.
One simple way to control use of software products is to assign a licensing key to each installed software product, so that when new software gets installed on a user's computer the licensing key gets tested, based on the results of the test, the user is allowed to use a new software product.
A control technology for checking the existence of a valid right when using digital content (documents, videos, audios, general software, such as programs) and permitting a user to use the digital content only if the user possesses a valid right is known as Digital Rights Management (DRM) technology. Known examples of DRM systems are access-ticket systems and Microsoft's Windows Rights Management System (WRMS). DRM technology can be generally divided into online and offline systems. The online system issues an online inquiry regarding rights of use to a server from a user terminal (such as a PC). The offline system performs rights authentication in advance and issues a right to use the digital content, namely, a license to a user terminal, and when the digital content is to be used, permits use of the digital content by referencing licenses within the user terminal.
For example, if the offline type of DRM is applied to software download sales, a license is generated at the server when a payment process is successful during a purchase. Thereafter, the license is managed at the terminal used by the user and can be continuously used until the expiration date of the license or the usage count is reached (or in perpetuity if there is no limit).
In actuality, there may be a request for a buy-back, transfer, or migration (movement of a license to another terminal) of a license. To achieve a buy-back, transfer, or migration of a license, it is necessary to delete the license from the terminal or invalidate the license.
On the other hand, software sales can take the form of migration licenses and upgrade licenses. A migration license is a license that is sold at a price lower than normal assuming the possession of a license of a competing product from another company. An upgrade license is a license that is sold for an upgraded software version at a price lower than normal assuming the possession of an earlier software version.
In either of these cases, once the use of a newly acquired licensing keys begins, there is no way to increase the number of the computers that use a software product with licensing keys unless personnel in the IT department contact the vendor and purchases more licensing keys for additional computers. Such licensing keys might have to be purchased at multiple points during the product's life cycle, and, for different computers, on different dates. This is time consuming and distracting for IT personnel, particularly where numerous different computer systems and software products are involved.